FotoFest has commissioned German curator Karin Adrian von Roques as the Biennial Lead Curator. Ms. von Roques is known for her work, over the past 20 years, bringing contemporary Arab art to international museums and galleries throughout the world.

She is working with FotoFest Co-Founder and Senior Curator Wendy Watriss to organize the 2014 Arab exhibitions.

"The exhibitions are not about the curator's voice," says Ms. von Roques. "They are about the artists and what is important to them. These are themes that are not unfamiliar in the West or the rest of the world. What differentiates this work is the particular ways in which individual Arab artists are addressing the concerns and issues of their own cultures."

The Arab artists in the FotoFest 2014 Biennial address issues ranging from the regionally specific to the global.

The themes are multi-layered, addressing fundamental issues from an inside perspective; from Arab artists who live and work in the region. The issues addressed include identities and change in the region; relationships to land and homeland; diaspora; memory; questions of gender; religion; historical heritage; the legacy of colonialism; and political upheaval.

"Our focus on Arab art was not motivated by opportunism related to the Arab world's current prominence in the media, but that the U.S. and Western audiences should have the opportunity to hear from more voices in the region and see the Arab world in more nuanced ways," says Ms. Watriss.

In early April, FotoFest will co-host an additional forum with Rice University, on the topic of "Arabophobia."